GEW: Unfilled head teacher positions a serious problem

In the view of the Education and Science Union (GEW) in Saxony, unfilled head teacher positions are a serious problem. Schools need strong leadership in order to manage "the complex daily routine" between a shortage of teachers, a high workload and the expectations of parents, teachers, school supervisory authorities and pupils, said Burkhard Naumann, Chairman of GEW Saxony, when asked by dpa. The attractiveness of these positions has suffered massively due to the enormous workload.

School principals in "constant crisis mode"

School principals have to compensate for the shortage of teachers caused by politicians on site - and often under extremely tight deadlines. "Anyone who finds out shortly before the summer vacations that teachers are being seconded on a large scale, or is told a few days before the start of the school year that there are fewer resources available for substitute teaching or all-day programs, is constantly working in crisis mode," says Naumann. Timetables have to be rewritten, staff shortages have to be dealt with and the interests of many stakeholders have to be reconciled.

The GEW Saxony is calling for better working conditions for head teachers, for example through less bureaucracy and preventative health protection measures, in order to be able to reliably fill head teacher positions again.

High schools and elementary school particularly affected

According to the State Office for Schools and Education (LASUB), 53 principal positions were vacant on 1 March, with 88 vacancies for deputies. More up-to-date figures are not available. One focus was on secondary schools, where there were 20 vacancies for head teachers and 36 for deputies. At elementary school, 15 head teachers and 42 deputies were missing. According to the figures, 13 head and three deputy head positions were vacant at grammar schools. There are around 1,600 general education schools in Saxony.

According to the LASUB, it is particularly difficult to fill vacancies in rural areas in particularly remote regions. As a rule, it works well with filling vacancies. The state office pointed out that schools are not without a head during the vacancy period. In most cases, the deputy principal or a principal from the region takes over the duties.